


Not So Stoic

by sevarix



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: During the War, Gen, M/M, Male My Unit | Byleth, i just... must write yurileth, verdant wind, yes more yurileth, yurileth
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-07
Updated: 2020-12-07
Packaged: 2021-03-10 04:27:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,277
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27928279
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sevarix/pseuds/sevarix
Summary: After the battle at Gronder, Yuri witnesses Byleth having an emotional moment.
Relationships: Yuris Leclair | Yuri Leclerc & My Unit | Byleth, Yuris Leclair | Yuri Leclerc/My Unit | Byleth
Comments: 6
Kudos: 51





	Not So Stoic

For years now, Yuri had heard the gossip about just how stoic and composed Byleth was. After Yuri had first become friends with him, he noticed it himself. Even in the most stressful of circumstances he appeared to show only a fraction of emotion that the others had.

But over time, and definitely since the war began, Yuri noticed more and more that behind his stoic appearance, Byleth had the same emotions as everyone else. He was just good at hiding them. Or perhaps he didn’t know how to express them at all.

Yuri knew what that was like. He also knew how exhausting it could become.

The battle at Gronder Field had been tough for everyone. Byleth had done his best to keep casualties low, but the fact that they had to face their old friends in battle was still difficult. As usual, Byleth remained composed through the entire thing, and was even praised for his ability to lead everyone so calmly. They had won, of course, allowing Claude to continue with his plan, but it hardly felt like a victory. Unlike the mock battle at Gronder all those years ago, there was no celebration once they returned to the monastery.

Byleth had shown his face scarcely at all since they returned. Everyone mostly left him alone, assuming he needed time to rest and recover from the fighting and traveling. But it bothered Yuri. No one should seclude themselves after a battle like that. Not even the supposedly always-stoic Byleth.

A few days after they returned, Yuri tried to find a time to talk to him, but with no success. He either couldn’t find him, or caught him at a bad time. But now he found himself on the surface once again, wandering around as he often did. The stars were out, and everyone else had turned in for the night, making it a nice time for a quiet stroll. He had not, however, expected to see Byleth.

He was just crossing the bridge to the cathedral when he saw Byleth standing near the walled edge of the bridge, glancing up at the stars. A brazier was still lit, revealing the exhaustion in Byleth’s eyes.

Yuri approached slowly, wondering if this would be an appropriate time to chat with him. He was out at night, by himself, which perhaps indicated that he did want to be alone. And maybe the others were right, maybe he really was just completely stoic, and maybe he was already done thinking about the battle at Gronder. Maybe Yuri was just being foolish.

Just as he was about to walk past him, Byleth turned to him in surprise.

“Oh, it’s you. Is something wrong?”

Yuri shook his head. “No, I was just taking a walk.” He paused a moment, noting again the exhaustion in Byleth’s eyes. Perhaps he should try to talk to him. “I have been meaning to talk to you though. To make sure you’re doing all right after that battle.” 

He blinked. “My injuries were minor. They’re all healed now.”

So far, stoic as always. Yuri held back a sigh. “Great. I also just wanted to make sure you were all right mentally. I know that last battle was tough for us all.”

Byleth blinked at him again, although this time Yuri noticed a change in his eyes. The tiredness intensified, breaking his blank expression. Then he glanced down, saying nothing.

Yuri wasn’t quite sure how to respond at first, but ultimately he decided to trust his gut feeling. He moved to stand directly beside him. “Just know that you can talk to me if there’s anything bothering you. It’s not good to isolate yourself when you’re feeling down. I’m not exactly in a place to judge you either, so no need to hold back.”

Byleth remained completely still for a moment longer, and Yuri almost decided to just leave it at that. Maybe he wasn’t ready to talk. Or maybe he wasn’t ready to talk to him. Maybe he’d be better off talking to someone like Seteth or Manuela.

But then Byleth looked up at him. “Do you… have time now?”

He nodded. “Of course.” 

Byleth remained quiet for a moment, then let out a long sigh. “I hate this war.”

“Me too,” Yuri replied softly.

He frowned. “I feel like if I revealed how I’m struggling internally, it would only discourage everyone. I’m still surprised that morale was high enough in the last battle. Fighting old friends…” He shook his head. “No one should ever have to do that.”

Yuri nodded, frowning himself. “Yeah. I agree. I get why you don’t want to share your feelings about it with everyone, but… it’s also not good to keep it bottled up.”

He glanced down again, saying nothing. It was then that Yuri noticed tears streaming down his face.

Without another thought, Yuri embraced him. “Hey, it’ll be all right.”

“I’m sorry,” Byleth replied between sobs.

“No need to apologize,” Yuri reassured him. “Sometimes you just need a good cry.”

And then, for several minutes, Byleth cried onto Yuri’s shoulder. It was as though his wall of stoicism finally broke, allowing his bottled up emotions to flood out. Eventually, the sobbing stopped, and Byleth lifted his head with a sniff.

His eyes were puffy and his hair was matted against his forehead, but he looked a bit relieved. “Um… thanks,” he said bashfully, glancing away. “I’m sorry you had to see that. I guess I’m just afraid that if anyone sees me in a weak moment, they’ll lose faith in me. And if that happens, then… we might lose the war.”

“I think it would take an awful lot for everyone to lose faith in you. You don’t have an easy job and everyone knows that.”

He stood pondering for a moment before looking back at Yuri. “Thanks for talking to me. I think you’re the first person to ask me how I was feeling about all this.”

It surprised Yuri to hear that, although he guessed it made sense. “Not even Claude?”

“Well… not like this. He has his own things to deal with. I don’t want him worrying about my troubles. And besides, he is my former student and it just doesn’t feel right to put that burden on him.”

“Makes sense. But just remember that I’m always here for you.”

Byleth smiled. “Thanks, Yuri. That… means a lot to me.” He glanced away, and Yuri detected a bit of color rising in his cheeks. “I… appreciate everything you’ve done. You never had to help with the war, but you did it anyway. So, thanks.”

Yuri smirked. “Well, I always join the side with the best chance of winning. Naturally that would be whatever side you’re on.”

Byleth gave him a look of doubt.

“Seriously, though.” He took a step closer, placing a hand on Byleth’s cheek. “I don’t care if you’re good at fighting,” he said softly. “You’re an incredible person, and I like you a lot. So of course I’d follow you.”

Byleth’s eyes widened, his face turning a deep shade of red, apparently losing the ability to speak in his flustered state.

Yuri smiled at the sight of it, and gently brushed away a lock of hair that had been stuck to his forehead. “You can always talk to me, By.”

“Um… t-thanks,” Byleth managed to say at last.

Yuri continued on his way then, satisfied with the outcome of the conversation. Before he got too far, he heard a voice from behind.

“Um, Yuri?” Byleth said. “You can always talk to me, too.”

Yuri turned to look back at him, smiling. “Thanks.” 


End file.
